I'm still at krok, and crafting interests me, but I'm not sure if I would like it that much. I want to get into a hobby like gardening or crafting, so why do you craft and would you recommend me to craft more?
I would recommend both crafting and gardening as things you should start early. Crafted gear is some of the best available in the game at certain levels and it doesn't require endless farming of dungeons. The only really difficult quests aren't until Zafaria and Azteca but they are worth the work in the end in my opinion. Try to work on the world's crafting quest while you are working through the world and it won't seem like a chore. You'll find most of what you need along the way anyways.
Unlike some reagents (Such as Mist Wood or Cat Tails), Black Coal cannot be found on the ground. You can however buy Black Coal from Elmer Meadowgrass in Olde Town, Wizard City, Al Saf'Wan in Krokotopia, Campbell Hodgson in Marleybone, or any of the other reagent vendors across the Spiral. They can also be bought from the Bazaar in Olde Town.
Unlike some reagents (Such as Mist Wood or Cat Tails), Black Coal cannot be found on the ground. You can however buy Black Coal from Elmer Meadowgrass in Olde Town, Wizard City, Al Saf'Wan in Krokotopia, Campbell Hodgson in Marleybone, or any of the other reagent vendors across the Spiral. They can also be bought from the Bazaar in Olde Town.
Crafting is a very important aspect of Wizard101 crafting may not be so great for a beginner, but in the long run, like when you do Olympus, and want the Adept's gear, being an Adept Crafter can be quite useful. Also, when in celestia you can craft polymorphs if you are a high crafting rank.